Objective: There is evidence that asthma is associated with an increase in psychiatric symptoms and mental disorders. This association can make it difficult to achieve asthma control. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the level of asthma control is associated with anxiety and depression. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 78 patients with confirmed moderate or severe asthma and under regular treatment at the Asthma Outpatient Clinic of the Federal University of São Paulo Hospital São Paulo, in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The patients were divided into two groups by asthma control status, as assessed by the asthma control test, and were subsequently compared in terms of demographic, clinical, and spirometric data, as well as scores for asthma quality of life and hospital anxiety/depression. Results: The sample was predominantly female. Of the 78 patients, 49 (63%) were classified as having uncontrolled asthma. The prevalence of anxiety and of anxiety+depression was significantly higher among patients with uncontrolled asthma than among those with controlled asthma (78% and 100%; p = 0.04 and p = 0.02, respectively), whereas there were no differences between the two groups in terms of the prevalence of depression, spirometry results, or quality of life score. Conclusions: In this sample, the prevalence of anxiety symptoms was higher in the patients with uncontrolled asthma than in those with controlled asthma.In the evaluation of asthma patients, the negative impact of mood states ought to be taken into consideration when asthma control strategies are being outlined.

Keywords: Asthma; Anxiety; Depression; Cross-sectional studies.

Objective: There is an indirect relationship between airway obstruction in asthma and the intensity of breathlessness (dyspnea). A word labeled visual analog dyspnea scale with a 0-3 score has been widely used for the assessment of the degree of bronchoconstriction, although the perception of such obstruction varies considerably. The objective of this study was to determine whether children and adolescents are able to perceive acute exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), as well as to measure the discriminatory power of a word labeled visual analog dyspnea scale in relation to the intensity of the EIB. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 134 children and adolescents with asthma and submitted to a six-minute steady-state exercise test on a cycle ergometer. The intensity of dyspnea was determined using a word labeled visual analog dyspnea scale prior to each determination of FEV1. The scale is scored from 0 to 3, with a logical sequence of pictures, ranging from "no symptoms" to "severe dyspnea". Variables were determined at baseline, as well as at 5, 10, and 20 min after the exercise test. The accuracy of the dyspnea scale in identifying the degree of EIB was determined by means of ROC curves for the post-exercise fall in FEV1, using cut-off points of 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%. Results: Of the patients selected, 111 finished the study, and 52 (46.8%) presented with EIB. The area under the ROC curve increased in direct proportion to increases in the degree of bronchoconstriction. Conclusions: Among children and adolescents with asthma, the accuracy of this dyspnea scale improves as the post-exercise percentage fall in FEV1 increases. However, the predictive value of the scale is suboptimal when the percentage fall in FEV1 is lower.

Keywords: Asthma; Asthma, exercise-induced; Dyspnea.